Miqati’s Sources Stress Food Safety Violators will be Held Accountable
Sources close to Premier Najib Miqati stressed that the government is firm in its decision to preserve the health of the Lebanese, saying the issue of spoiled foodstuff will be followed-up by a ministerial committee during a meeting next week.
The government will not tolerate the violations committed by the owners of warehouses of spoiled meat and other food products, the sources told al-Liwaa daily published on Saturday.
“The file will not be closed … and will be discussed again by the ministerial committee led by the prime minister that will meet next week to follow-up the decisions that it took last Wednesday,” they said.
The sources stressed that an investigation is ongoing to punish all the culprits and take the necessary measures to preserve food safety.
Miqati held talks with a delegation from the food unions at the Grand Serail on Saturday.
The Internal Security Forces have detained at least ten people over food safety violations in separate raids carried out by the Economy Ministry’s Consumer Protection Directorate in Beirut, the South and the Mountains.
Despite the food scare, Tourism Minister Fadi Abboud stressed on Friday that the amount of spoiled meat is a small percentage of the total meat present in the Lebanese market.
He lamented that blacklists containing names of restaurants and hotels were being circulated via SMS, e-mails and social media sites. Such moves are harming the tourism sector, Abboud said.
The head of the Beirut Order of Physicians, Sharaf Abu Sharaf, also said Friday that the scare emerged and was reported by the media only after a politician had experienced a case of food poisoning.
According to al-Liwaa, the person involved is Randa Berri, the wife of Speaker Nabih Berri, who was allegedly food poisoned on Independence Day.
Abu Sharaf told al-Liwaa that food safety does not differentiate between sects, regions and political affiliations.
“The only way to resolve this is through confronting it and not hiding it,” he said, adding “we are in need for a permanent control by the state agencies.”
The Customs Department announced on Friday that it had seized huge amounts of smuggled tobacco and fake perfumes, in addition to expired canned foods.
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